Perception of dental appearance and aesthetic analysis among patients, laypersons and dentists

Abstract

BACKGROUND Current concepts of beauty are increasingly subjective, influenced by the viewpoints of others. The aim of the study was to evaluate divergences in the perception of dental appearance and smile esthetics among patients, laypersons and dental practitioners. The study goals were to evaluate the influence of age, sex, education and dental specialty on the participants’ judgment and to identify the values of different esthetic criteria. Patients sample included 50 patients who responded to a dental appearance questionnaire (DAQ). Two frontal photographs were taken, one during a smile and one with retracted lips. Laypersons and dentists were asked to evaluate both photographs using a Linear Scale from (0-10), where 0 represent (absolutely unaesthetic) and 10 represent (absolutely aesthetic). One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t -test analysis were measured for each group. Most patients in the sample expressed satisfaction with most aspects of their smiles and dental appearance. Among laypersons (including 488 participants), 47 pictures “with lips” out of 50 had higher mean aesthetic scores compared to pictures “without lips”. Among the dentist sample, 90 dentists’ perception towards the esthetic smile and dental appearance for photos “with lips” and “without lips” were the same for 23 out of 50 patients. Perception of smile aesthetics differed between patients, laypersons and dentists. Several factors can contribute to shape the perception of smile aesthetic. AIM To compare the perception of dental aesthetic among patients, laypersons, and professional dentists, to evaluate the impact of age, sex, educational background, and income on the judgments made by laypersons, to assess the variations in experience, specialty, age, and sex on professional dentists’ judgment, and to evaluate the role of lips, skin shade and tooth shade in different participants’ judgments. METHODS Patients sample included 50 patients who responded to DAQ. Two frontal photographs were taken: one during a smile and one with retracted lips. Laypersons and dentists were asked to evaluate both photographs using a Linear Scale from (0-10), where 0 represent (absolutely unaesthetic) and 10 represent (absolutely aesthetic). One-way ANOVA and t -test analysis were measured for each group. RESULTS Most patients in the sample expressed satisfaction with most aspects of their smiles and dental appearance. Among laypersons (including 488 participants), 47 pictures “with lips” out of 50 had higher mean aesthetic scores compared to pictures “without lips”. Whereas among the dentist sample, 90 dentists’ perception towards the esthetic smile and dental appearance for photos “with lips” and “without lips” were the same for 23 out of 50 patients. Perception of smile aesthetics differed between patients, laypersons and dentists. CONCLUSION Several factors can contribute to shape the perception of smile aesthetic.